A Big Top Love Affair
by EffervescentGrace
Summary: If Nico had been younger he would have been enthralled with the idea of the circus- flying acrobats, lion tamers, trapeze artists and all other performances that aim to impress the hearts of the audience. But as it was, Nico was now closing in on his sixteenth birthday, and would much prefer reading about the circus than actually attending. Circus! AU
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Altruistic  
**

Nico had not particularly wanted to go to the circus, but Bianca was enraptured with the idea and had dragged him along anyway. She did not seem to care that they couldn't possibly afford two tickets into the circus tent, that they possibly needed an adult with them and that the circus sounded dreadfully boring.

If Nico had been younger he would have been enthralled with the idea of the circus- flying acrobats, lion tamers, trapeze artists and all other performances that aim to impress the hearts of the audience. But as it was, Nico was now closing in on his sixteenth birthday, and would much prefer reading about the circus than actually attending.

It was not even that the real world had lost its appeal to Nico; he was still amazed by the simple things other people were amazed by. But when you were a foreigner who could not even speak fluently in that country's language, some of the wonders lost their allure. Nico wondered how Bianca could be so charmed by such a place like America, where the people looked down on them because they were underprivileged immigrants in the 1930s who just wanted to live safely.

"Nico, come on!" Bianca called in Italian, grabbing his wrist and dragging him over to the tent opening. She was nearly sparkling with excited energy, and despite his best efforts, Nico smiled slightly. It quickly vanished, however, when they saw the cost for one seat each in the tent. They glanced at one another, and the disappointment in Bianca's eyes was jarring.

"You can go in," Nico offered, watching as Bianca's entire expression lit up in joy- before crumbling into a sad expression.

"I cannot leave you out here, it wouldn't be fair," Bianca said, turning to leave the grounds. Nico placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her towards the ticket booth, where a man was watching them, an eyebrow raised as if to say 'Are you coming in or not?'

"I don't want to see the circus," Nico said firmly. "You do _. Go._ "

Bianca looked uncertainly between Nico's determined expression and the tent. After a few conflicted moments, she darted forward and hugged Nico tightly, digging crumbled notes out of her pocket to hand to the man with the tickets. She gave Nico one last thankful look before slipping into the tent.

Nico sighed and looked around, wondering what he was going to do while Bianca was inside. Other than the tent, there was not much else to do. The grounds consisted of patchy grass and dusty dirt, people wandering in and out, children laughing though there wasn't much to laugh at. Nico decided to sit down on a barrel of crates and wait out the performance. The ticket man gave him a wary look, but shrugged when Nico only sat.

Nico wondered how long the performance was going to take. A couple of hours, most likely, for how much the ticket prices were. He hoped Bianca enjoyed herself; it wasn't often that she was able to do things for her own benefit. It made Nico happy to see that joy on her face.

But… sitting around was going to be awfully boring.

He wished he had bought one of his books with him. He didn't have many, as books were a luxury, but the ones he did have he cherished greatly. They were an escape from the cruelty and roughness of the world around him- he was able to immerse himself in words of beauty and adventure, imagine the scenes; women in gowns the colours of flowers, men who tried to woo them with words equally as extravagant. Boys who never age and live with mermaids, fairies and pirates; girls who age too fast, weary from the hardships of the world and wanting to fall in love with the handsome prince, doing so in the end.

Nico was so enraptured with the thought of his precious stories that he didn't notice the woman standing in front of him until she spoke.

"What are you doing out here?"

Nico startled and looked up quickly, staring wide- eyed at the woman. She was possibly in her late teens, with corn silk curls tied back in a untidy do, deep sun tanned skin, and eyes as grey as storm clouds. Almost immediately, Nico realised this woman was both beautiful and dangerous.

She raised a critical brow at him, and Nico remembered she asked him a question. He opened his mouth to answer, but closed it again, trying to order the Italian into English in his mind.

"My sister," He said carefully. "Inside. Not enough currency- for two." He winced at his choppy English, but the woman seemed to understand and amazed Nico by smiling lightly.

"Your sister is inside and left you out here?" She asked, stunning Nico by speaking Italian. He slowly relaxed when he realised there would be no language barrier, his shoulders sagging in relief.

"There was only enough money for one person, the tickets are expensive." He explained, and the woman nodded in understanding.

"You are kind to let your sister go without you," She said. Nico wanted to say he didn't wish to see the circus anyway, but noticed the outfit she was wearing suddenly. A tightly ribboned silver corset wrapped her upper-half, swirls of emerald lacing through it. She wore pants, which were also green, and she had a flick of emerald on the line of her eyelashes. At her waist were gleaming silver daggers. Nico glanced at them, and felt a sharp tingle as they hair on the back of his neck stood on end. She was undoubtedly a performer for the evening, and it would be unwise to disrespect her and her comrades.

"It was no problem," He said haltingly, eyes flickering between the daggers and her equally sharp grey eyes. Beautiful, dangerous and carrying sharp objects. It didn't seem like the best combination, in Nico's opinion. "She enjoys the circus very much."

The girl looked him over, resting a hand on her hip casually. Even with her nonchalant stance, she still looked lethal. After a few moments, she jerked her head to the side. "Come."

She began walking off, and it took Nico a moment to realise she wished for him to follow her. Hastily jogging to keep up with her long strides, Nico cursed both his short stature and her long legs. She had to be three inches taller than him. Nico wondered how old she was.

The girl led him around the side of the tent to where Nico presumed the performers all set up. She pointed to a lawn chair and said curtly, "Sit there, please."

Nico obeyed, sitting awkwardly. The girl looked around, pursing her lips, seeming to look for someone. She sighed after a moment and turned back to Nico. "Wait here. If anyone asked who you are, say you are with Annabeth."

Nico nodded and then Annabeth stalked off, looking as if she intimidated passersby. Nico looked around, wondering what he could possibly do while he waited for Annabeth to come back from… where ever she had gone. Nico didn't even know why he was sitting here on this flimsy lawn chair behind the circus tent.

Nico took the time while Annabeth was gone to observe his surroundings. The first thing that stuck out to him was the trailers littering the field. Nico could see the hazy silhouettes of people getting ready for their performances. Nico wondered what it was like to be in a circus- it couldn't possibly be dreary or dull, constantly travelling and performing like they did. It was possibly exerting, working all the time, but it had to be amazing, travelling over the country.

"I am back," Nico jumped, head snapping to look at Annabeth, only to see that there was a boy standing next to her. Nico stared slightly, and not just because he was very handsome with his sea green eyes, dark shaggy hair and deeply tan skin. He was the ringmaster, it was obvious from his sweeping red coat and charismatic smile- but he was much too young. Nico knew for a fact that teenagers were never that important in a circus- it was always an older, perhaps middle-aged man who was the ringmaster. But it was apparent that this wasn't the case at this particular circus.

"Annabeth," The boy said energetically, glancing at Annabeth. "This is the kid?"

"Yes," She replied, and they looked back at Nico, who tried not to seem nervous. He still had no idea what exactly was going on. After a moment, the boy spoke again.

"Hello," He said to Nico. "I heard you let your sister inside without you. I think it would be good for you to see what you'd otherwise miss out on, don't you?"

Nico didn't quite understand. He looked between the two of them hesitantly, and the boy smiled.

"I'm Percy," He said, and held out a hand. Nico looked at it for a moment before taking it and allowing Percy to pull him up. Percy looked pleased, and beckoned them forward.

"Annabeth, when are you on?" He asked. Annabeth immediately answered.

"In ten minutes," She said. She looked towards one of the trailers. "Which reminds me, I have to go see Drew. Will you be alright with… sorry, I never caught your name?" She switched to Italian to ask Nico her question, and he started once again.

"Er, my name is Nico," He said quietly, and Annabeth nodded, giving Nico a slight smile that seemed as if it was rare.

"Alright, NIco, you go along with Percy. I need to go," She said, giving him one last nod before hurrying off towards a trailer. Percy watched her go with a fond expression.

"Well, let's get going then!" Percy said cheerfully. Nico nodded, still unsure of what was happening. Percy led them to the side of the tent and opened a flap, ducking inside and pulling Nico along with him. They were in a narrow passage, and Nico could hear laughter and shouting. He realised they must have been behind the stands that held the audience.

"I'm going to leave you backstage for a bit," Percy said, shuffling along the corridor, his voice soft as if the audience would somehow be able to hear them despite the roar of noise. "I hope that's alright? It's just I need to go on soon, I promise I'll leave you in good hands."

Nico shrugged hesitantly, looking around at the dirt floor and the wooden stands."What…" He began, his face instantly twisting in frustration as he tried to find the English words for his sentence. "Where is going?"

Percy looked back at him, still smiling. "Annabeth said you couldn't speak English well, but that's okay." He frowned. "You can understand me though, can't you?"

Nico nodded quickly, not trusting his English enough to attempt answering verbally and fighting an embarrassed blush. Percy brightened.

"Good," He said, seeming satisfied. "I'd hate it if you couldn't. Okay, so you wanted to know where we are going, yes?"

"Yes," Nico responded. he stumbled on a loose piece of gravel on the path and mumbled a curse that would have caused disapproval if Bianca was here. But as it was, it was not Bianca but Percy who he was speaking to, and he didn't seem like the sort to care about cursing anyhow. It wasn't like he could understand Nico, which was also a plus in this situation, though a burden in almost all others. Nico hated the language barrier between the Americans and himself.

"We're going backstage first," Percy explained, drawing Nico's attention back to him. "And you can meet all the performers, then go and see the last performers from the best seats in the house."

Nico started at that, his eyebrows drawing together in utter confusion. There was no way that was something that was normally done. "Why?" he asked.

Percy raised an eyebrow at him, still grinning. "Because you were really nice to let your sister in without you. It was a good thing to do,"

Nico didn't think he should be rewarded for doing good deeds, but nonetheless he continued following Percy until they reached an area with a few people sitting. The area was filled with different fabrics and objects, so much colours that it nearly hurt Nico's eyes. In fact, there was so much all at once that Nico didn't notice the people in the room at first.

There was a petite girl with short dark hair wearing a bright blue, skin-tight outfit that made Nico avert his eyes. Standing beside her was a tall boy with pale hair wearing an outfit that matched. Nico supposed that they were a double act, if they were wearing matching costumes.

The boy looked helpless as he gazed down at the girl, holding his hands out in a placating gesture. As Nico and Percy walked forward, Nico caught the end of his sentence. "...lia, please, Piper can't perform tonight and you're the only other person who can do it."

"What's wrong?" Percy asked, and his tone changed, more professional than friendly. The girl turned and looked at him and Nico nearly flinched at the amount of panic in her eyes.

"Percy," She said, her voice trembling. "I can't go out there- I was told by Chiron that I was only doing my routine. I didn't sign up for this!"

Percy placed a hand on her shoulder, grimacing. "It'll only be for a minute, Thalia. Two minutes at the most."

Thalia shook her head. "I really can't- Percy-you know how I am with heights… I can't…"

Percy sighed, running a hand over his face tiredly. It was silent for a moment while he seemed to think.

"Okay," He said finally. "We'll just have to tell the guests that the flying trapeze won't be happening tonight."

Thalia released a breath of relief, but looked incredibly guilty. "I'm really s-"

"It's okay," Percy interrupted, giving her a smile. "Do you think Katie will be able to get the lions ready while Annabeth does her act?"

Thalia turned to the boy by her side. "Jason-"

"I'm on it," He said quickly, darting out of the room. Nico watched him go, before snapping his head back around when he felt Percy tap him on the shoulder.

"Stay here with Thalia," He ordered, not unkindly. "I have to go out and present the next act."

Nico nodded, then Percy left, leaving them in silence. Thalia threw herself back into a sofa, looking distraught.

"Sorry about the bad company," She said after a few heavy minutes, gesturing to herself. "I just feel like utter _shit._ "

Nico was taken aback by the language. He had never heard a girl swear before. His surprise must have shown on his face, because she grinned wryly and stood.

"Hey, you wanna see Annabeth's performance?" She asked. Nico hesitated, then accepted with a nod. Thalia grinned widely and grabbed him by the wrist, hastily dragging him to a narrow walkway, opening a flap at the end to show the roaring laughter of the crowd, bright lights and Percy standing in the middle of the ring.

Nico supposed this night might be more interesting than he originally thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two- Convalescence**

The show was utterly brilliant. It shocked Nico, how incredible each performance had been. The vibrant colours of cerulean, turquoise, emerald, gold, scarlet, magenta. It was all so beautiful and terrifying at once.

The first act Nico had seen had been Annabeth's, who Nico had concluded, was the most terrifying woman he could possibly ever see. She tossed her knives, one after the after,at targets all across the circus tent, hitting each of them square in the centre. Nico had been in awe, watching as not even a hair was turned out of place on her head as she quickly, effortlessly, tossed those wickedly sharp blades across the room.

Then there was Leo, the fire-dancer, who tossed sticks of flames as if they were not hot at all, swallowing the blazes of light and breathing them again, allowing the fire to crawl across his skin, a wicked grin adorning his features, his eyes almost crazed in the brilliant light of the flames.

Then Piper, who sung and danced across the room, ribbons of coloured banners twirling between her lithe limbs and making it seem as if her body was smooth as silk itself. And Jason, the flying trapeze solo artist, who glided through the air without a single fear, almost as if he was born to do so.

And of course, Percy, who lead them all with a charming smile and wooed the crowd with cheerful words. He lit the stage alit with a simple charismatic word and drew anticipation from his exaggerated flourishes. Yes, Nico had indeed unexpectedly enjoyed the circus.

That was, at least, until the lion pounced on him.

He had just finished watching the last performance of the night, by two brothers who looked like twins but apparently were not, and the stands were starting to be emptied. He turned, looking around, lost as to where he was meant to go, but knowing he needed to find Bianca quickly, lest she begin to worry about him. Then Percy was at his side, beaming brightly, chattering about how successful the night had been. Nico had no idea what he had done to allow Percy to become so taken with him, but he found he didn't mind all that much. Percy seemed to be a kind person.

They walked down the narrow corridor they came through, with performers all around them. Nico stumbled when someone squeezed past him, and looked to see Piper, the ribbon dancer, walking in front of him. She looked back at Nico and smiled, giving him a playful wink, darting off to link her arm with Annabeth's, the knife-thrower instantly smiling when she saw Piper's face. Nico wasn't sure what that wink meant, but he was glad nobody seemed upset that he was around.

"We have to find your sister, right?" Percy said amiably, slinging an arm over Nico's shoulders. Nico frowned, not used to having casual contact between people. Was this normal for circus-folk?

"Yes," Nico said. Percy grinned and looked around, suddenly calling out to someone.

"Connor!" He called, and then one of the brothers appeared out of nowhere, an impish grin on his face that made Nico believe he was someone who liked to cause mischief.

"Yeah, Percy?" He asked. Percy smiled brightly.

"Find a girl called Bianca, I'd like to give her and her brother a tour of the circus." And with those words, Connor disappeared, darting away with a quickness that surprised Nico.

"Tour?" He asked cautiously, looking up at Percy, whose eyes twinkled brightly.

"Yes, I think it would be excellent to show you around, after all, I gather that your sister really enjoys these things?" Percy said, ending his sentence as a question. Nico nodded. Bianca did indeed enjoy events like the circus, where she could be carefree and away from responsibilities. She was whimsical in that way, she loved to dream and act upon those dreams.

"Yes," Nico said, looking around as they ducked out of the opening into the newly starry sky. Nico was glad their mother worked late at the factory- if she didn't, she was sure to have been worrying where Nico and Bianca had gotten to without any kind of warning. Nico felt a bang of guilt that was quickly discarded. His mother was at work, and was none the wiser of their whereabouts.

Percy led him to the front of the big top tent, waving at guests brightly as they streamed out of the large entry way. After a few moments, Nico was able to spot Connor's lanky form above the heads of others, and then he saw Bianca next to him, a confused expression on her face as Connor chatted to her happily. She looked around and spotted Nico, her face immediately becoming washed with relief at seeing him, then pulling into a frown that Nico didn't understand.

"Nico," She smiled when she reached him and Percy. "Why were you not at the entry, are you in trouble?" She said disapprovingly in Italian, darting a quick glance at Percy.

Nico flushed at her accusation. Offended, he shot back in rapid- fire Italian. "No. Percy allowed me to watch the performance- he thought it was kind of me to wait for you to watch the show. I'm sorry, I won't next time."

Bianca's frown deepened and she opened her mouth to retort, only to promptly clamp it shut again as she looked at something over Nico's shoulder. Nico turned and saw Annabeth and Thalia walking towards them. Thalia grinned and flicked a quick wave with her right hand. Nico noticed she was no longer in the tight sapphire clothing she was wearing earlier, instead she was clad in dark pants, a red and black plaid shirt and a leather jacket. Nico blinked, finding it incredibly unexpected,but Thalia seemed to have that effect on him.

Nico looked back at Bianca and was surprised to see she was blushing. What on earth was that about? Bianca was never one to blush over anything.

"Hello," Annabeth said in Italian, immediately realising that Bianca was Nico's sister and speaking in a way that would allow them to all communicate. "I want you to know your brother has been in safe hands, and we would never have allowed him any harm."

Bianca looked at her sharply, staring her down, the blush gone from her cheeks. If there was one person who could possibly stand up to Annabeth, Nico supposed it would be his sister. After a few silent moments, Bianca nodded and smiled sweetly.

"Thank you for looking after him," She said. Nico frowned, slightly offended that she thought he couldn't take care of himself- which he could, thank you very much. He wasn't a child any longer.

"Would you both like a tour?" Annabeth asked, looking glad that Bianca wasn't upset. Bianca looked at Nico, considering, and Nico shrugged. He didn't really mind either way. Bianca nodded and smiled.

Which was how they found themselves being carted around the circus grounds. Now that the show was over, the people of the circus seemed to be retiring to bed. The circus performers looked much less magical without their costumes on, and much more real. They were all dressed in either night clothes, or clothes one would wear when going out on the town. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, chatting amongst themselves as they either left for the city or retired to their beds.

That was, until there was a mighty growl. Nico, who had been ahead of the others somewhat simply because he happened to walk faster, looked up, feeling the blood drain from his face when he saw he was standing right in the line of sight of a large, terrifying lion. Immediately, the whole circus seemed to freeze. Nico took a deep breath, then took a step backwards. Which was a mistake, for the lion twitched and then sprang forward, it's massive paws knocking into Nico's chest and plowing him into the ground.

Nico shouted and heard scuffling, though the hot breath and saliva of the beast above him was enough to distract him from the noise. Almost immediately after the lion pounced onto him, it darted off again at the sound of windpipes being played. Nico scrambled up and away, ignoring his aching chest to stare as a man anxiously began herding the lion away.

"I'm so sorry, I was just taking him back to his cage and he must have smelt something-"

"It's okay, Grover, just get him back, okay? Please."

The man nodded quickly and carted the lion off, playing his pan pipes, which surprisingly seemed to make the animal follow him. Nico rubbed his chest, wincing at the dull throb.

"I'm so sorry," Percy said, helping Nico up. "I can't believe that happened. If there is anything we can do that can compensate for this…"

Nico shook his head. Other than the pain in his chest, he felt fine, even if he was a bit rattled by the quick attack. Percy scrutinised him.

"At least let us take you to see our medic. He'll be able to take a proper look at you and make sure you're fine."

Nico made to protest, but decided against it. His chest really did ache. "Okay." He said. He was promptly led to a small, simple tent off near the large big top, where there was a makeshift cot set up, with a large first aid kit set up in a corner and one of the prettiest boys Nico had ever seen drifting through it. He was darkly tanned from the sun, making his golden hair appear paler. He was also tall, and wore simple white pants and a shirt that went to his wrist. His hair was long enough to be tied in the messy bun he had it in. He looked up when he heard movement and raised a blond eyebrow at them all.

"Our guest was hit by the lion in the chest." Percy said bluntly, and the boy's mouth opened slightly in shock.

"Oh, well." He paused. "I suppose I should take a look at you then. I'm Will by the way." He smiled slightly. "Could you please sit on the bed and remove your shirt?"

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: With my irregular updating, one might think I don't enjoy writing. But I actually do, I swear! I also love all of you!**_

 _ **In fact, I love you all so much I decided to make a detailed RP on a forum on this site, where we can all RP together and stuff if you wanted :)**_

 _ **The link:**_ ** _forum/Three-Years-Later/180279/_**

 ** _Join me, it'll be fun_**

 ** _Love, EG xxxxx_**


	3. Chapter 3

Nico winced in pain, his fingers twitching where they clenched his knees tightly. Will smiled apologetically, gently prodding bruises on Nico's thin chest with skilled and experienced hands.

"I'm sorry if I'm inflicting more pain on you," Will said quietly, gently easing Nico's arms above his head. "But I need to check for internal bleeding- you had a rather large, aggressive animal press two paws to your chest, also knocking you off your feet, so I'm worried you might have a fracture somewhere within your body."

Nico didn't quite understand what Will was talking about- he spoke in such rapid- fire English Nico was sure that even if he wasn't a foreigner, he still would not have been able to understand Will's words. As it was, Nico wished Annabeth was back in the tent with them, as she would be able to translate for them. But Nico had firmly willed everyone out of the tent, as his tongue had felt thick in his mouth at the thought of multiple people seeing him shirtless. It wasn't that he was insecure about his body, but he was modest- and yes, he had a thin chest and shoulders that were too broad for his height and weight. Plus, next to Will, Nico was very pale, despite being from a nation where one was in the sun for long hours of the day.

Will was very pretty. Nico couldn't get this thought out of his head, though he supposed he ought to feel a bit disturbed by his thoughts. Boys did not call other boys pretty. But that was exactly what Will was- when Nico could look at him up close like this, he could see Will's pale eyelashes were very thick and his lips full. His hair was silkier than it first appeared, corn-silk blond, locks falling around his face in curled ribbons and tied at the base of his neck. He was also not white, which made Nico like him even more. It was never black people who spat discriminatory remarks at him. He was very pretty indeed.

Nico hissed when Will began wrapping a bandage around his chest. He looked up at Will reproachfully, and Will grimaced in apology. He did not seem to enjoy Nico's pain, for which Nico was grateful. It would have been extremely humiliating if he were to be laughed at due to his pain.

"You don't speak much English?" Will asked, and Nico frowned, wondering where the topic came from. He decided to go with it anyway.

"No- English is… not my first language." Nico said. Will nodded in understanding, picking up a pair of scissors.

"I know what you mean- my mother is from the Pacific Islands, near Australia, and came to the USA. She didn't know much English and it was very frustrating for her." Will shook his head. "My father apparently taught her some English, but not much."

Nico felt as if Will was closing off now, not wanting to talk anymore. He could respect that- fathers were not a welcomed topic for him either. And he didn't exactly know where Australia was either.

"You speak very good English." He said, pulling a face at his own slurred words. Will smiled, taping the bandage together with a pin.

"Thank you, but I was born in New Jersey." He said, amusement colouring his voice. He pointed at Nico's arm. "Would you also like some ointment for those scars on your upper arm?"

Nico startled, and craned his head to see his arm. He had nearly forgotten about the deep scars on his arm. It had been so long since he had received them. "A dog pounced me when I was young."

Will looked troubled. "That must've hurt."

He walked over to box and began rummaging through it. He then came back, holding a small container filled with a thick, questionable white liquid. "This should heal the scar tissue a bit."

Nico took the container gingerly. "Thank you."

Will waved a hand and smiled. "No need to thank me, I'm a doctor, I like to help people."

Nico thought about that. It did not sound like the worst thing in the world, enjoying helping people. It sounded very gratifying, in fact.

"Are you guys finished in here?"

It was Percy, who pulled back the curtain to the tent. Immediately, Nico felt awkward, and he reached for his shirt, pulling it on and buttoning the front. Will looked back at him and smiled.

"Yeah." He gave Nico a once over, which caused a strange blush to creep up Nico's chest. What on earth? Why was Will affecting him this way?

"You have to be careful not to do too much lifting or exercise," Will continued. "It'll upset your injury and make it worse, so don't put any stress on it, okay?"

Nico nodded and glanced at Percy, then looked back at Will. He fidgeted slightly in his seat, unsure of what to do.

"Thank you," He said. It was the only thing he could think of. Will smiled brightly.

"No problem, it's what I'm here for." He paused and then ruffled Nico's hair. Nico frowned and quickly patted his hair back down. "Just make sure you don't have to come here again- I'd hate to have to patch you up a second time."

Nico smiled slightly. "Right."

He stood and walked over to Percy, who was watching their interaction with amusement and interest. Nico tried not to read too much into that. Being friendly wasn't something that was unusual, was it? Will didn't seem to think so, but Nico was suddenly unsure. He was still getting used to this country, what if the customs he followed were different to those here?

Nico looked back at Will, who smiled at him in an almost sweet way. Nico smiled back, unable to help himself, and then followed Percy out of the tent.

/\

"Well, it was lovely having you, Nico." Percy said, smiling widely. Nico smiled back with a small blush, ducking his head.

"You're welcome," He said in Italian, glad Annabeth was once again there to translate. "I appreciate your hospitality, thank you for allowing me to see the show."

Percy nodded along as Annabeth spoke, and then grinned at Nico. "It's no problem at all!"

Bianca adjusted her cap. "It's time to go now, Nico. Mama is going to be worried if we're not home soon."

Nico nodded and sighed, thanking Percy again. He grinned and said. "You can come here for free anytime, you're an honoured guest, alright?"

Nico blushed, he simply couldn't help it. No one had ever called him an honoured guest before, and it made him very happy.

As he and Bianca walked away, he wondered at what point he'd be able to see this circus again. They were leaving soon, said the sign out the front, and unless Nico visited tomorrow, he would not be able to see them for a very long time.

He would just have to wait and see.

* * *

 ** _15/12/15_**

 ** _Author's Note (Generic): I'M BACK YAY!_**

 ** _My hiatus was a lot shorter than I thought it'd be, to be honest. I've just started my six week holidays, and I'm hoping to finish a few of my stories in that time! I'm really unhappy with my writing right now, though. I'm kind of rusty at the moment. I've only been writing essays and study notes for so long now aha!_**

 ** _Once these six weeks are up, I probably won't update as frequently again, though. I've started my last year of high school, and I've got a scholarship for university, but if I want to obtain the $20 000 for the tuition, I need to receive an ATAR of 90+ (which is like, the hardest to get and only like, 2 people a year in the state get it .). So i'll need to study loads next year, but for now I'm work free so YAY!_**

 ** _Author's Note (for this fic):_**

 ** _I feel like this might be one of my more challenging fics to come back to, because I had to research a lot about the time period and I had to really look into Nico's brain, and I didn't really get much reception for this one, but I absolutely love the idea still, so I'm definitely going to continue, don't worry about that!_**

 ** _This story was one that I was most eager to get back to, because I had wanted to write a circus AU a long time before I actually did! I had spoken to a couple of friends like, 8 months before I began writing Big Top, and I was telling them I had an idea for a circus fanfiction and then I finally wrote it- and then I stopped writing all together -.- Good going, me. You're awesome._**

 ** _Anyway, I really hope you all enjoy this chapter and tell me what you think!_**


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